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Jumanji: The Next Level
| writer = | based_on = | starring = | music = Henry Jackman | cinematography = Gyula Pados | editing = Steve Edwards | production companies = | distributor = Sony Pictures Releasing | released = | runtime = 123 minutes | country = United States | language = English | budget = $125-132 million | gross = $ 120 million | italic title = yes }} 'Jumanji: The Next Level' is a 2019 American fantasy adventure comedy film directed by Jake Kasdan and written by Kasdan, Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg. It is the second sequel to 1995's ''Jumanji, following 2017's Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, and the fourth installment, overall, in the ''Jumanji'' franchise. The film stars Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, Alex Wolff, Morgan Turner, Ser'Darius Blain, and Madison Iseman, reprising their roles from the previous film, alongside newcomers Awkwafina, Danny Glover, and Danny DeVito. The film was theatrically released in the United States on December 13, 2019 by Sony Pictures Releasing under its Columbia Pictures label. Plot A year after the events of the previous film, Spencer, Fridge, Martha, and Bethany have gone their separate ways but make plans to meet up in Brantford. However, Spencer is apprehensive about meeting up with everyone, especially Martha whom he put his relationship with on hold, due to thinking they have better lives. On his first night there, he realizes that his time within Jumanji was what made him feel relevant and sets out to return. The next day, Fridge, Martha, and Bethany become concerned when Spencer fails to show up. Heading to his house, they meet Spencer's grandfather Eddie, who's staying at the house while recovering from hip surgery, and his former friend Milo Walker. While there, the group discover that Spencer deliberately kept the broken pieces of the Jumanji game and resolve to go in and get him, but the malfunctioning game sucks in only Fridge and Martha, along with Eddie and Milo, forcing Bethany to reach out to fellow Jumanji player Alex Vreeke to help get in. In the game, Martha finds she's back in the Ruby Roundhouse avatar, but Fridge winds up in Professor Oberon's form while Eddie and Milo get Bravestone and Mouse respectively. After Fridge gets eaten by a snake, costing him his first life, NPC guide Nigel Billingsley informs them the game has changed: a warlord named Jurgen the Brutal, who in this game is responsible for the deaths of Bravestone's parents, recently stole a magic necklace called the Falcon's Heart. As its magic provides fertility to the land so long as it stays in the sun, a drought struck the land when Jurgen stole the jewel. They must retrieve it before he sells it to a crime syndicate so both groups can combine, and show it to the sun in order to end the drought and save Jumanji, though Nigel comments that not all of them will leave the game alive. While stopping at a nearby oasis, the group runs into Spencer, now operating as the thief Ming Fleetfoot. After an encounter with a former lover of Bravestone's, Fridge and Martha retrieve an in-game required Jumanji fruit. They also discover a pool of water with a green glow that makes them temporarily switch avatars. After Eddie, Milo, and Spencer secure camels to get them through the desert the group moves on. However problems plague the group: Fridge feels that Oberon's status as a field guide is detrimental to their survival, Spencer is too self-conscious to use Ming's skills properly, Milo's casual attitude keep him from revealing key info in a timely manner, and Eddie's pure acts of carelessness lead to the other players, including him, losing several lives. Their problems are made worse as Eddie blames Milo for selling their diner behind his back, forcing him into retirement. An argument between the two leads to Milo getting crushed by a giant boulder, costing him his second life. After barely surviving a horde of mandrills at a series of revolving bridges, the group, now on their last lives, reunites with Alex and Bethany (though Bethany is stuck as a black winged horse named Cyclone). They eventually find a river with water similar to what Fridge and Martha found. Spencer, Fridge, and Bethany get their original avatars back, while Eddie and Milo end up in Ming and Cyclone respectively, but they are captured by Jurgen's men shortly after. In Jurgen's fortress, Fridge and Bethany stall the mercenaries while Spencer, Martha, and Alex rescue them. While the group holds Jurgen's men off, Spencer uses the Jumanji fruit (Jurgen's only weakness) to incapacitate him long enough to send Jurgen falling to his death. Spencer gets the Falcon's Heart to Eddie and Milo, who expose it to sunlight and defeat him. Eddie, Spencer, Fridge, Martha, Bethany and Alex return to the real world. Due to the fact that he was dying and was only there to make up with Eddie, Milo elects to stay behind and protect Jumanji. In the aftermath, Spencer starts teaching his grandfather about video games and reunites with his friends at Eddie's old diner where Eddie uses Bravestone's "smoldering intensity" to convince the new owner Nora Shepperd to bring him on as a manager. In a mid-credits scene, a heating mechanic Spencer's mom recruited finally shows up. They find the game in the basement, and the mechanic's tinkering presumably sucks them both into the game and releases a herd of ostriches into the real world, where Spencer, Fridge, Martha and Bethany witness from outside the diner. Cast * Dwayne Johnson as Dr. Smolder Bravestone: Eddie's avatar (who was previously Spencer's); a strong, confident archaeologist, explorer, and the leader of the team. ** Danny DeVito as Eddie Gilpin: Spencer's cranky, but well-meaning grandfather. ** Zachary Tzegaegbe as a young Smolder Bravestone * Jack Black as Professor Sheldon "Shelly" Oberon: Fridge's new avatar (who was previously Bethany's); a paleontologist, archaeologist, cartographer, and cryptographer. ** Ser'Darius Blain as Anthony "Fridge" Johnson: A Brantford High School football jock, who cares more about football than studying. He and Spencer, who were childhood friends, reconciled by the end of the previous film after years of disassociation. His experience as Franklin "Mouse" Finbar in Jumanji helped him learn to rely on others and his brain rather than brawn. * Kevin Hart as Franklin "Mouse" Finbar: Milo's avatar (who was previously Fridge's); a diminutive zoologist, linguist, and weapons specialist. ** Danny Glover as Milo Walker: Eddie's estranged friend. * Karen Gillan as Ruby Roundhouse: Martha's avatar; a commando with talents in martial arts and is now able to wield nunchucks. ** Morgan Turner as Martha Kaply: A shy and cynical intellectual at Brantford High School. She and Spencer started a romantic relationship at the end of Welcome to the Jungle. Her experience as Ruby Roundhouse in Jumanji helped her learn to not be judgmental and to be more self-confident. * Nick Jonas as Jefferson "Seaplane" McDonough: Alex's avatar; a young aircraft pilot. ** Colin Hanks as Alex Vreeke: a married man with children, who as a teenage gamer, was trapped inside the Jumanji video game for 20 years. Until he was rescued and returned to the real world. In the video game, he took shelter in a home built by a previous player named "Alan Parrish". * Awkwafina as Ming Fleetfoot: Spencer's avatar; a new avatar with skills of burglary, pick-pocketing and lock picking. ** Alex Wolff as Spencer Gilpin: A nerdy student at Brantford High School, who is Eddie's grandson, his previous experience as Smolder Bravestone in Jumanji helped him cope with anxiety and panphobia and to develop assertiveness. Spencer rebuilt Jumanji after Fridge had destroyed it. He then gets sucked into the game for a second time, and his friends, grandfather, and his grandfather's friend follow with a plan to rescue him. * Madison Iseman as Bethany Walker: A pretty, popular, egocentric teenage girl at Brantford High School. Her first experience as Sheldon Oberon in Jumanji helped her learn to care more about others. In Bethany's next visit to Jumanji, she ends up in the body of a black winged horse named Cyclone, who serves as her new avatar. * Rhys Darby as Nigel Billingsley: The players' main in-game NPC (Non-Player Character) guide. * Rory McCann as Jurgen the Brutal: The new villain of Jumanji, an iron-fisted and arrogant warlord who killed Smolder Bravestone's parents a long time ago. * John Ross Bowie as Jurgen's spokesperson: A minion of Jurgen. * Dania Ramirez as an NPC seductress and Bravestone's ex-girlfriend. * Bebe Neuwirth as Nora Shepherd: A kindly restaurateur whom Eddie despises due to her buying the diner that he and Milo previously owned. She previously appeared in the first film, where she once wanted to turn the Parrish mansion into a bed and breakfast business. Additionally, Lamorne Morris and Lucy DeVito have been cast in undisclosed roles. Massi Furlan and Ashley Scott appear as Switchblade and Ashley, respectively, although the latter revealed her scene was cut from the film. Production Development After the release of the previous film Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, and Nick Jonas had discussed in interviews what a possible Jumanji sequel would be about, including the possibility of the film exploring the origins of the titular game. Karen Gillan had also said that the alternate ending for Welcome to the Jungle would have left the door open for another movie. In February 2018, it was announced that Kasdan would direct the sequel, with Rosenberg and Pinkner again writing the script and Johnson, Hart, Black, and Gillan reprising their roles. On February 22, 2019, Black confirmed the new film as being a fourth Jumanji film because of Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005) serving as the second film and sharing continuity with the other films of the series, with Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle serving as the third film. In July 2019, the film's title was revealed as ''Jumanji: The Next Level. Casting In January 2019, Awkwafina, Danny DeVito, and Danny Glover joined the film. In February 2019, it was announced Alex Wolff, Ser'Darius Blain, Madison Iseman, Morgan Turner, and Nick Jonas were announced to reprise their roles. In March 2019, Dania Ramirez joined the cast of the film. That same month, it was announced Rhys Darby would reprise his role in the film. In May 2019, it was announced Colin Hanks would reprise his role. Filming Filming began on January 21, 2019, and took place in Atlanta, New Mexico, Calgary, Fortress Mountain Resort and Hawaii before wrapping on May 11. Johnson made a reported $23.5 million for his role. Music Henry Jackman is set to create the musical score after having worked on the previous film. Release In the United States and Canada, the film was released in on December 13, 2019. The film was released on December 5, 2019 in China, Singapore, Malaysia and several other Asian countries. In the Nordic countries and the Netherlands the film premiered in cinemas on December 6, 2019. The film's Australian release date is December 26, 2019. The first trailer was released on July 1, 2019. A second and final trailer was released on October 31, 2019. Reception Box office In the United States and Canada, Jumanji: The Next Level was released alongside Black Christmas and Richard Jewell, and is projected to gross $45–55 million from 4,227 theaters in its opening weekend. The film made $4.7 million from Thursday night previews. Critical response The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 67% based on 149 reviews, with an average rating of 5.93/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Like many classic games, Jumanji: The Next Level retains core components of what came before while adding enough fresh bits to keep things playable." Metacritic, another review aggregator, assigned the film a weighted average score of 58 out of 100 based on 34 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by PostTrak gave the film an average 3.5 out of 5 stars, with 58% saying they would definitely recommend it. References External links *Sony Pictures page * Category:2019 films Category:2019 3D films Category:American action adventure films Category:American adventure comedy films Category:American fantasy adventure films Category:American fantasy-comedy films Category:American films Category:2010s sequel films Category:American sequel films Category:Columbia Pictures films Category:English-language films Category:Films about video games Category:Films based on children's books Category:Films based on works by Chris Van Allsburg Category:Films directed by Jake Kasdan Category:Films with screenplays by Scott Rosenberg Category:Films set in 2017 Category:Jumanji Category:Jungle adventure films Category:Seven Bucks Productions films Category:IMAX films Category:2010s adventure comedy films Category:2010s fantasy-comedy films Category:2010s fantasy adventure films Category:Film scores by Henry Jackman Category:Film scores by Jeff Morrow (composer) Category:Film scores by Kazuma Jinnouchi Category:Film scores by Anthony B. Willis